Charles Sorley
I
A thousand years have passed away,
Cast back your glances on the scene,
Compare this England of to-day
With England as she once has been.
Fast beat the pulse of living then:
The hum of movement, throb of war,
The rushing mighty sound of men
Reverberated loud and far.
They girt their loins up and they trod
The path of danger, rough and high;
For Action, Action was their god,
“Be up and doing” was their cry.
A thousand years have passed away;
The sands of life are running low;
The world is sleeping out her day;
The day is dying–be it so.
A thousand years have passed amain;
The sands of life are running thin;
Thought is our leader–Thought is vain;
Speech is our goddess–Speech is sin.
II
It needs no thought to understand,
No speech to tell, nor sight to see
That there has come upon our land
The curse of Inactivity.
We do not see the vital point
That ’tis the eighth, most deadly, sin
To wail, “The world is out of joint”–
And not attempt to put it in.
We see the swollen stream of crime
Flow hourly past us, thick and wide;
We gaze with interest for a time,
And pass by on the other side.
We see the tide of human sin
Rush roaring past our very door,
And scarcely one man plunges in
To drag the drowning to the shore.
We, dull and dreamy, stand and blink,
Forgetting glory, strength and pride,
Half–listless watchers on the brink,
Half–ruined victims of the tide.
III
We question, answer, make defence,
We sneer, we scoff, we criticize,
We wail and moan our decadence,
Enquire, investigate, surmise;
We preach and prattle, peer and pry
And fit together two and two:
We ponder, argue, shout, swear, lie–
We will not, for we cannot, DO.
Pale puny soldiers of the pen,
Absorbed in this your inky strife,
Act as of old, when men were men
England herself and life yet life.
_October 1912_
© by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes
You may find this and other poems here.
Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem presents a sharp critique of England’s evolution from a vibrant, action-driven society to one consumed by inactivity and intellectual detachment. Through the speaker’s reflection on a past era, the poem laments the loss of a dynamic spirit and a sense of purpose, painting a picture of a once-powerful nation now struggling with lethargy and complacency.
The first section contrasts the energetic past with the present. The use of vivid imagery, such as “the rushing mighty sound of men” and “the path of danger,” evokes a time when action and courage defined the nation. “Action was their god,” the speaker asserts, emphasizing the importance of direct engagement with life and the world around them. This presents a stark contrast to the present, where “the world is sleeping out her day,” signifying a society that has become passive, unable to keep pace with the demands of its time. The cyclical reference to a thousand years passing suggests the passage of time, but also a lost sense of urgency and vitality.
In the second part of the poem, the speaker shifts to a more direct condemnation of the contemporary society. The “curse of Inactivity” is described as having settled upon the land, leading to a population that is aware of the growing problems around them but too complacent to act. The examples of crime and human suffering serve to highlight the dissonance between awareness and action. The speaker’s critique is aimed at a nation that observes the “swollen stream of crime” without engaging in meaningful action to remedy the situation. The metaphor of the “drowning” is poignant, suggesting that the nation is aware of its decline but is paralyzed by its own inertia.
The final section intensifies this critique, focusing on the inability to act despite endless discussion. The poem sarcastically criticizes a society that “questions, answers, makes defence,” but never moves beyond theory. Words are cheap, the speaker suggests, and actions are what matter—something that the “pale puny soldiers of the pen” fail to realize. In this sense, the poem is a call to action, urging a return to the old values of engagement and purpose.
Ultimately, this poem condemns a society that has become so absorbed in thought, critique, and intellectualism that it has lost the will and ability to act. It mourns the decline of action-driven courage and purpose in favor of stagnation and passive observation. The speaker’s anger and frustration with this state of affairs are palpable, urging for a return to a more active and engaged national identity. The final lines serve as a call to break free from the paralysis of thought and return to meaningful, decisive action.